Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Callum lowered his eyes to hide the darkness in them.
“I’ll make her pay the price the instant I have the necessary evidence to prove that she’s the one behind my mother’s condition.”
Elspeth could only give him a firm nod in the face of his resolute decision.
“Okay, I’ll compromise and be your secretary for a few days.”
“Good. Start by making me a coffee. No sugar.”
After he gave out his first order, he plopped into the office chair and started reading through a business contract.
“You sure slip into your role very quickly, eh?”
Elspeth grumbled under her breath. Then, she picked up his mug and trotted out to the coffee machine nearby.
Alas, her timing was impeccable as she overheard the most recent gossip about Edmund the moment she stepped out of Callum’s office.
“Did you guys hear about it? Our vice president signed a contract with Alphascape Group, and it seems like this agreement caused us a big loss!”
“Oh, my God. Is that true?”
“100% truth. I heard from the vice president last time that he signed this agreement unexpectedly. He signed the contract the other day under influence but has yet to tell the president about this. Maybe he’s worried that he’ll be blamed for it?”
“Haven’t we always been loggerheads with Alphascape Group? So, why on Earth did Edmund sign a contract with them so easily?”
“It wasn’t easy at all. He had put in a great deal of effort to sign a contract with them. Maybe because Callum is simply too outstanding, so Edmund wanted to prove himself by striking a big deal with Alphascape, but it didn’t occur to him that they could be so dishonest…”
“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s get back to work before somebody overhears us.”
The gossipmongers scattered back to their respective offices, and only Elspeth was still quietly making coffee in the pantry.
When she raised her head to look for a teaspoon, the first thing she saw was Edmund, who was standing nearby and here to make a coffee, just like her.
He ended up getting scammed because of his naivety despite putting in such a great deal of effort to prove himself. So, there was no way he could accept his failures with a bright grin on his face.
In addition, he felt even worse now that people were gossiping about his misstep behind his back.
“Hey, Edmund-
Elspeth began, but before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off harshly.
“What? Are you going to mock me, too?”
Elspeth was briefly stunned by his rude manner, and a look of confusion washed over her face.
“Mock you? About what?”
“Stop lying. They’ve practically given you my weakness on a silver platter. I know you overheard everything.”
He snorted and continued,
“So, just cut the pretense.”
“I’m not pretending. I simply wanted to ask you just what kind of contact you signed with Alphascape that got you scammed of millions.”
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Edmund’s face flushed crimson when she brought the topic up so candidly.
“I merely bought a property them, but they gave me a piece of problematic land instead. That’s why I made a loss… Yet, I never once imagined it would be an utterly useless plot of land. I know that I’ve already thoroughly checked the inspection papers before making that purchase, and I was sure that it was marked qualified. But how…”
Even now, he still couldn’t understand how he got himself into such hot water.
“You know that we’ve been at loggerheads with Alphascape Group all this while, and it’s risky business to collaborate with the old foxes there. Furthermore, Callum wasn’t around-“
“Callum! Callum! Callum! It’s always about him! What? Will the world stop spinning if Callum is no longer around? Ever since we were young, everyone has been using him to put me down. It’s even worse since we’re from the same family. Is he that great while I’m such a massive disappointment?”
As far as he could remember, Callum had been the pride of the Winthrops. Even if he did make a mistake, everyone would create all sorts of excuses for him. He couldn’t ever recall anyone ever doubting Callum’s abilities.
However, if Edmund were the one who fumbled at something, everyone would immediately conclude that he was never capable of anything worthwhile in the first place.
“Nobody is using Callum to put you down. You’re the one who has been using him to motivate yourself. Or maybe, you’re just easily affected by his achievements, and you can’t see what you’ve achieved because you’re so busy comparing yourself to him.”
Elspeth paused and sighed before she tried to give him solid advice.
“Remember, Callum is merely a person who is a little more outstanding than most people, but he’s not the greatest man alive. He d?s have his weaknesses, too. Don’t put him on a pedestal and kick yourself to the ground just because of what others have to say. Of course, they will sing his praises because they want something from him! Always put yourself first
Her words caught him by surprise because it was the first time someone would take the time to say such things to him.
“So, don’t belittle yourself. Now, that’s off the table. Can you tell me now what exactly happened?”
“The president of Alphascape Group gave me a call out of the blue the other day, claiming that he wants to discuss a collaboration with me. Knowing that we’d always been at odds with them, I didn’t agree to meet him, but the company vice president kept inviting me, so I reluctantly agreed. After that, I went to check out that land, and he said that they didn’t have much time to deal with it. On the other hand, we happen to be well- funded, so they wanted to sell it to us. I didn’t think that the land would turn out to be like this. I swear, it really didn’t hit me that he would scam me so blatantly..”
Elspeth could sense his remorse and said,
“Alright, I get the idea.”
Massaging the center of her forehead, she thought, Edmund had let his guard down.
“I’ll contact Alphascape Group in a few days and make them take back this land by hook or by crook.”
Her words made Edmund’s heart stir. It suddenly struck him that even though he was the vice president of Winthrop Group, he didn’t even have the guts and courage that she had, and he felt ashamed of himself.
“Okay, we’ll speak about it when the time comes.
Edmund paused for a second. Something popped up in his mind suddenly and he asked,
“Elspeth, my mother
“She’ll be fine soon. I’ll let you know once she’s awake.”
All of a sudden, she recalled that she was out to make coffee for Callum and realized that she had been away for too long after checking the time. So, she hurried back.
“What happened? It took you thirty minutes just to make a coffee?”
Callum said with a frown, staring at her.
Elspeth cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Nothing happened. I just got carried away, so I took a little more time.”
“That’s right. There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
Then, he placed the form on the table in front of her.
“I just found out that Edmund signed an agreement with Alphascape while I was away, and we made a loss of 7.5 million.”
“Maybe he let his guard down. Just guide him properly.”
As Callum didn’t think that she would speak up for Edmund, he couldn’t help but snap.
“What? Are you worried that I’ll tell him off?”
“He’s your brother, not mine. You can tell him off if you want. It has got nothing to do with me.”
Shrugging, she appeared uninterested in being involved in their affairs.
“The important thing now is to get back this 7.5 million. This is Alphascape’s problem, and I won’t let them get away easily with this.”
Leaning in closer she asked.
